The gauntlet, thrown down by Sainsbury's Bank to UK pet insurance companies last month in the form of a Pet Insurance Charter (see: Bank Calls For UK Pet Insurance Overhaul), has been picked up by Dorset based pet insurer Animal Friends Insurance (AFI). AFI founder Elaine Fairfax warns that policyholders could be left thousands of pounds out of pocket through not reading the small print.

AFI says it applauds Sainsbury's 'Pet Insurance Charter' but questions whether it fails to champion best of breed policies in favour of its own.

Elaine Fairfax, said:

"Any step to clarify insurance cover for consumers is a step to be commended. Therefore we applaud and support the concept of a Pet Insurance Charter – although an independent body would undoubtedly be better qualified to administer it.

"That said, I believe the product criteria selected is not robust enough.

"What Sainsbury's fails to include in its Charter is that there are policies, some cheaper than its own, which offer cover per year, per condition, i.e. policies which offer cover for the lifetime of the pet and the lifetime of each condition. This is true 'Lifetime' cover."

Animal Friends challenges Sainsbury's and other pet insurance providers to offer true Lifetime cover i.e. per condition, per year.

AFI's Lifetime cover definition:

Most policies will cover a condition for up to a year but will then exclude it from the cover for subsequent years. Obviously it is very difficult to get cover once the condition is 'existing'.

An example: A dog is diagnosed as having a heart condition at the age of two. This means that it will need medication for the rest of his life which might be another ten years.

Some policies offer a fixed amount (eg £3,000) per year however this is for all conditions.

Using the example above, if the dog also contracts gastric problems in addition to the heart problems then the cost may well exceed the £3,000 each year. Other policies offer a fixed amount (eg £5,000) per condition however this will not cover every year.

Again using the example above, this would not cover heart condition medication for the rest of the dog's life.

Genuine lifetime cover will offer a fixed amount (eg £4,000) per condition, per year. Using the example above, the owner would be covered for treatment for all conditions, every year for the rest of the dog's life, up to the agreed amount each year for each condition.

Submitted by: Steve O'Malley      

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